‘Devil in My Ear’ by The Red Clay Strays - Lyrics & Meaning

The second single to be released from The Red Clay Strays’ sophomore album, Made by These Moments, ‘Devil in My Ear’ epitomises both the spiritual imagery and themes of struggling with one's mental health that permeate much of the record.

On the album tracklist, ‘Devil in My Ear’ follows on directly from the despair and despondence of ‘Drowning’, continuing in a similar mood but offering a glimmer of hope, as the protagonist determines to try and overcome their depression and anxiety.

Arguably, ‘Devil in My Ear’ digs deeper than any track on the record, with the sole writer Drew Nix exploring thoughts of suicide, with the band underlining how they hope the song helps any listeners going through the challenges they viscerally describe.

‘Devil in My Ear’ is driven by a stormy, foreboding electric guitar riff and stampeding drum pattern, which create an ominous ambience that reflects the angsty feel of the lyrics. Brandon Coleman's weighty vocals give the track an extra boost of drama and gravitas, accentuating the emotionality of the soul-baring offering. He lets each line of the verses breathe, giving ‘Devil in My Ear’ a deliberate, unhurried pace, which in turn highlights the comparative intensity of the fiery chorus.

“Why, why, why can't I seem to hold my head up high?
It must be the devil in my ear
I'm not good enough so what's the use?
Self medicate and self-abuse
It must be the devil in my ear”

The protagonist begins by wondering why he can't hold his head up with pride, before blaming the devil whispering in his ear for his lack of self-esteem. This loss of confidence leads him down a nihilistic spiral of relying on substances and ‘self-abuse’ as an escape.

“I try to push 'em all away
But, those thoughts they stick around
Thrivin' on my pain and they keep bringin' me down
I pray to God for peace of mind, for the gloom to disappear
I can't find a cause to live with the devil in my ear”

The narrator explains he's been doing his best to chase these negative thoughts out of his mind, but to no avail, with Coleman portraying them as being alive and feeding off his anguish. He brings in more spiritually-minded imagery here, outlining how he turns to prayer to try and stem the poison the devil is pouring in his ears.

“Why, why, why can't I seem to fall asleep at night?
It must be the devil in my ear
Depression and anxiety
I can't shake the grip that they've got on mе
I know the devil's gotten in my brain”

Brandon Coleman kicks off this verse with a similarly structured line to the first, desperately pleading, “Why, why, why can't I seem to fall asleep at night?”, again blaming the devil.

The protagonist clarifies the exact issues he's contending with, explaining that he's suffering from both depression and anxiety, and he sees no end in sight. He then takes things a step further by suggesting the devil has not only been conveying unsolicited, destructive messages into his ears, but implies the devil has now wormed his way into his brain, referring to the agonising thoughts he's been cultivating.

“Why, why, why can't I seem to hold my head up high?
It must be the devil in my ear
I don't wanna die, I wanna live
But my life can't go on like this
And not another day with the devil in my ear”

We return here to the opening line, giving ‘Devil in My Ear’ a cyclical feel, but with a quietly optimistic tint. The protagonist reaches a breakthrough as he affirms, “I don't wanna die, I wanna live”, with Drew Nix explaining that ‘Devil in My Ear’ is inspired by a friend that took his life, with the song designed to offer hope to those suffering with suicidal thoughts. It's moving that Nix decides to make “Not another day with the devil in my ear” the final line of the song, underlining how he's determined to hold onto the hope that there's a brighter day on the horizon.

In tandem with the single's release, Drew Nix, the only songwriter behind ‘Devil in My Ear’, explained the inspiration behind the vulnerable offering, “‘Devil in My Ear’ is a song that came to me during a time when I was trying to figure out why somebody who was dear to me, and many others, would take their own life. Somebody who, even with superb talent, a loving family and good friends thought their life either wasn’t worth living anymore or they were experiencing a pain so severe internally that they could no longer live with it. This song is dedicated to the people who have had these thoughts and moments where they feel like their life doesn’t matter enough to stick around. Please stick around. Somebody loves you. Those thoughts are lies and things will get better. God bless”.

On the band's official Instagram page, The Red Clay Strays shed more light on the powerful message behind the track and the impact they hope it will have, “‘Devil In My Ear’ is an important song for us. We, like so many others, have lost people we love to their mental health battle when they should’ve reached out. If you’re in that hole struggling, remember you’re not alone and reach out to someone for help”, before sharing a pertinent Bible verse from Psalms‬ ‭55‬:‭22‬ ‭NIV, “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken”.

“Why, why, why can't I seem to hold my head up high?
It must be the devil in my ear
I'm not good enough so what's the use?
Self medicate and self-abuse
It must be the devil in my ear

I try to push 'em all away
But, those thoughts they stick around
Thrivin' on my pain and they keep bringin' me down
I pray to God for peace of mind, for the gloom to disappear
I can't find a cause to live with the devil in my ear

Why, why, why can't I seem to fall asleep at night?
It must be the devil in my ear
Depression and anxiety
I can't shake the grip that they've got on mе
I know the devil's gotten in my brain

I try to push 'еm all away
But, those thoughts they stick around
Thrivin' on my pain and they keep bringin' me down
I pray to God for peace of mind, for the gloom to disappear
I can't find a cause to live with the devil in my ear

Why, why, why can't I seem to hold my head up high?
It must be the devil in my ear
I don't wanna die, I wanna live
But my life can't go on like this
And not another day with the devil in my ear

Well, not another day with the devil in my ear
Not another day with the devil in my”

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